


Saving Him

by twdsunshine



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 04:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17542661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twdsunshine/pseuds/twdsunshine
Summary: The reader finds her daily routine interrupted when she stumbles across an unarmed idiot trying to punch his way out of the centre of a herd.  But Negan has been through more than she can imagine, and, when she takes the time to listen to his story, it raises more questions than it answers.  Like, how did somebody so completely stupid survive this long without her help?  And will she take a chance on such an obvious liability and offer him a place to stay?





	Saving Him

**Author's Note:**

> This was an anonymous request on Tumblr that I thought was absolutely hilarious, and I completely fell in love with the idea of someone from the outside running into Negan once he’d been toppled from power and just being like, ‘What the hell were you thinking???’ So, here it is. 
> 
> ‘Could you write a fic where instead of getting captured by Rick and co. Negan escapes. But because he has nothing with him except the clothes on his back when he runs straight into a herd he’s kinda screwed. The reader who’s just passing through sees the idiot in a herd punching out zombies and decides to help him. You can take it from there if you decide to do it 😊’

It was the muffled roar that stopped you.  You’d been creeping along the top of an embankment that tumbled down towards the road, dotted with trees and littered with divets and dips, taking care to stay out of sight of the herd that shuffled mindlessly below.  It wasn’t one of the bigger herds you’d seen - perhaps twenty or thirty walkers, tops - but it was more than you were willing to try to take on alone, and so you kept to the shadows, staying up above and following their path, ensuring that you’d avoid crossing their tracks further down the line.  The air had been thick with the growls and snarls that fell from their sagging jaws, the scuffing of soles against the tarmac, the sounds you’d become accustomed to since the undead had taken over, but there it was again: a gruff bellow that echoed along the winding road and had you scanning the jostling bodies for some sign of life.  

Picking up your pace, you pulled your gun from the holster on your hip, just in case.  Using it would be foolish at best, deadly at worst, but that shout had sounded human and, if there was a human down there… Well, you sure as hell wouldn’t want to be them.  

Sure enough, you finally picked him out.  Towards the head of the herd, seemingly unarmed, his white t-shirt soaked with blood, was a tall figure, lashing out again and again at the corpses that just kept coming.  Anyone else might have run.  It was the only way to even give yourself a chance of survival facing a herd with no weapon to hand, but not this guy.  He clutched one hand to his chest, the other punching wildly at the monsters that bore down on him, and every so often another roar would erupt from his chest.  For a moment you simply stood, frozen in place by the sheer stupidity of the man, but then your instincts kicked in and you leapt into action.  Barrelling down the slope towards him, you paused to let off a barrage of bullets, taking down the walkers closest to him, and creating a clear passage for him to reach the edge of the road.

The rattle of gunfire had him spinning round, eyes wide, and you called out.  ‘Over here!  C’mon!’

He hesitated.  Seriously, he actually hesitated, as if being torn apart by the reaching fingers that clawed at him might be preferable to following the path you cut back up the bank, and you almost turned on your heel to leave him to his fate, but then he jerked into action, sprinting towards you, stumbling over the bodies of the corpses that he’d managed to drop before you’d intervened.  You anchored yourself to a tree, stretching out an arm to offer him a hand and holding steady as you hauled him up to join you, picking your way back up to the ridge side by side, tripping and slipping, but single-mindedly striving to reach the top.  Behind you, you could hear the walkers attempting to follow, but the slope was steep and their lack of coordination had all but the most solid falling and rolling clumsily back to the verge.  As you crested the top, your free hand went for your knife, immediately alert to any that had made it up behind you, and you dispatched the few that had managed before turning to take in the idiot you’d been forced to save.

He’d collapsed to the ground, one hand still elevated as though injured, his chest rising and falling in sharp pants.  His eyes were closed, his skin slicked with sweat, and you considered sloping away whilst he regained his composure.  You were pretty sure already that he would be detrimental to your survival, but you’d been on your own for so long now, you couldn’t bring yourself to leave without giving him another chance.

‘Hey.’  You nudged his knee with the toe of your boot, waiting for his eyes to flicker open before you spoke again.  ‘You okay down there?’

‘Yeah.’  He voice was deep and husky, hoarse from his shouting just moments before, but he eased himself up on his elbows to show willing, gaze raking over you from top to bottom as he nodded slowly.  ‘Yeah, I’m good.  Shit, doll, you just saved my ass.’

‘Yeah, I did,’ you agreed.  ‘What the hell were you thinking?  You come across a herd like that with no weapons, you run, asshole.  You don’t try and take them down one damn punch at a time!  You’re lucky you’re not walker chow right now.’

‘Alright, take it easy.’  With a huff of resentment, he sat up, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his knees, studying the ground intently.  ‘S’been a long fucking day.’

‘Well, it’s gonna be longer if we don’t get inside before it gets dark,’ you pointed out.  ‘You got somewhere to be, people waiting on you, or…?’

He shook his head, fixing you with a pained smile.  ‘Nah.  There- there’s no-one.  Not anymore.’

‘Looks like you’re coming with me then.’  You stood over him, tapping your foot impatiently as he continued to stare at you.  ‘Seriously, whenever you’re ready.’

Finally, he climbed to his feet, and you turned your back on him, continuing along your route and trying to ignore the amplified rasps from below, the walkers still unsuccessfully trying to clamber up the bank in their hunger to taste your flesh.  You could hear the thud of his footsteps behind you, but you made no effort to engage him in any further conversation.  The light was fading and you were still several miles from the little cabin you called home, so you pressed on, trusting that, if he wanted your help, he’d follow.

 

* * *

 

‘Let me take a look at that.’

The cabin seemed small with another body in it.  You’d been settled there for a while now, but it had always just been you, and you didn’t take up that much space.  This newcomer was tall and rangy, and you noticed that he’d had to duck his head to fit through the low doorway.  Now, settled at the rickety table that stood against one wall, he look disproportionately big, and you felt comparatively tiny as you dropped down into the seat opposite him.  

His eyes locked on yours as he held out his hand, the one he’d been cradling so protectively for the duration of your hike, and you squinted in the gloom to make out the large gash that snaked down from his thumb.  

‘Fuckin’ Eugene,’ he muttered under his breath, but you didn’t press him to elaborate as you dug around in your pack for the small first aid kit you carried with you.  He remained silent as you worked, cleaning the wound and dressing it, though he inspected the finished dressing with an approving nod when you were done.  ‘Thanks, doll.  Guess I owe you one.’

‘I think that’s two you owe me now, actually,’ you countered, tossing your kit back into your bag and pushing yourself to your feet.  ‘Hungry?’

‘Starving.’

You crossed to the cupboards that lined the far side of the room and bent as you pulled one open, reaching inside for a couple of tins that were stacked as high as the shelf would allow.  You’d always been a bit of a hoarder, but in the apocalypse that habit had served you well, and your supplies were plentiful, for now at least.

A small fireplace was built into the back wall and you tossed your guest a set of matches, nodding in the direction of the grate as you pulled out your knife and went about opening the cans.  He proved surprisingly adept at his task, piling up a small bundle of kindling and fanning the flames into life, and, ten minutes later, you were both sprawled on the wooden floorboards, enjoying the fire’s heat as you sipped from steaming mugs of soup.  You took the opportunity to study the man in more detail, the fine lines around his eyes, the salt and pepper stubble on his chin, and the definition of the muscles in his arms as he raised his cup to his mouth.  He was attractive, you couldn’t deny it.  But you hadn’t yet decided whether his good looks made up for his lack of sense.

‘So, you got a name?’ you asked as you finished eating, setting your mug to one side and stretching out your legs.

‘Who wants to know?’  He quirked a brow at you, a smirk tugging at his lips, before letting out a humourless chuckle.  ‘It’s Negan.’

‘Negan?  Like, just Negan?’

‘You got it.’

‘Wow, you’re like a rockstar, huh?  Like Slash or Prince or something?’

‘Something like that.’  

‘I’m Y/N,’ you offered.

‘Just Y/N?’

‘If you can do it, so can I.’

‘Well, trust me, Y/N, I sure am glad to have met you.’

‘I’ll bet.’  The pop and crackle of the fire filled the silence, and you both lost time as you stared into the flames, you were sure.  But it had been a couple of hours now since you’d come across this fool in his suicidal attempt to take down a herd with his bare hands, and your curiosity was finally getting the better of you.  ‘So, Negan, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly were you doing out there, trying to punch your way out of a damn herd?  Looked like you had a bit of a death wish going on at one point.’

‘Nah.’  He eyed you warily for a moment as if wondering how much to reveal before sighing deeply and ducking his head, scrubbing his hand over his slicked-back hair.  ‘Dropped my weapon somewhere on the battlefield.  Fucking Rick the prick’s probably got his hands all over her right now.  Makes me feel sick just thinking about it.’

‘Wait, what?  Over who?’

‘My Lucille.’

‘Who’s Lucille?’

‘My bat.’

‘Your… bat?’  You shot him a quizzical look.  ‘Okay, you’ve lost me.’

‘I have a bat called Lucille,’ he explained, as if that made any more sense.  ‘She’s a badass baseball bat, and she’s gotten me out of a pickle or two like that one I got myself into earlier.  Trust me, she’s bashed in a few brains in her time.’

‘You named your weapon?’

‘Yeah.’  His tone was defensive so you let it drop, though you were still confused.  ‘She was fucking beautiful.’

‘I’m sure.’  You were beginning to find his intensity awkward, so you shifted the topic of conversation, still keen to find out more.  ‘You said you were on a battlefield?’

‘Yeah,’ he said again, and you could see pain blossoming in his eyes, setting his mouth in a thin, tight line as he cleared his throat, obviously forcing down the emotions that were surging to the surface.  ‘Trust me when I say it’s a long fucking story, sweetheart.’

You shrugged.  ‘I’ve got all night.’

His shoulders visibly slumped, and he flopped back against the wooden boards, supporting his head on one crooked elbow and regarding you coolly.  ‘What if I don’t feel like fucking talking?’

‘You know where the door is.  Have a nice life.’

‘Wow, that’s cold.’

‘Hey, for all I know you’re a damn liability, man.  I don’t know if you actually realise how ridiculous you looked down there earlier, but I’m still trying to figure out if it’s worth risking my ass to keep you around.  Least you can do is fill in some of the blanks, right?’

For a moment you thought he might argue, but instead he chuckled, snagging his bottom lip between his teeth as though debating where to begin.  ‘Alright, well, if you really wanna know, I’m a pretty fucking big deal round these parts.’

‘Really?’  You pulled a face of comic disbelief, his arrogance amusing you when so far all you’d seen was a man way out of his depth.  ‘I’ve never heard of you.’

‘You wanna know what happened or not?’

‘Sorry.’  You attempted to cajole your face back into a neutral expression.  ‘Please, go on.’

‘I head up a group called the Saviors.  Or I used to.  We’ve got a compound about six miles from here.’

‘How many of you are there?’

‘Shit, I have no fucking clue.  A lot.’  He waited to see if you were about to question him further before continuing.  ‘Holed up in an old abandoned factory.  Place was a fortress.  Fences, thick concrete walls.  Safe as houses.  Definitely safer than this one,’ he observed.  

‘I think this is more a cabin than a house,’ you argued in defence of your home, but he ignored your protests.

‘I was fucking building something, doll.  Starting a new world order.  Trying to bring some fucking civilisation back to this shitstorm we’ve been living in.’

‘And how were you doing that exactly?’

‘Easy.  By putting some damn rules in place, that’s how.  We had ranks, currency, jobs to do.  We found other communities and reached out to them, tried to bring them under our wing.  It was working.  For a while it was fucking thriving.’

‘So, wait…’  You were frowning as you tried to understand what it was that he’d tried to develop.  ‘You were, what, trading with other groups?’

‘Something like that.’  When you continued to look confused, he rolled his eyes, deciding to spell it out for you as you so obviously needed.  ‘I had a damn army, okay?  Men and women, armed to the teeth.  But like I said, there were a lot of us, and we needed things, y’know.  Food, medicine…  So, we offered to provide protection for these other communities in return for a percentage of their supplies.’

‘Right.’  You were still struggling to wrap your head around the concept.  ‘But weren’t these communities doing just fine until you found them?  I mean, presumably they must’ve been if they’d lasted that long already.  So, why did they need your protection?’

His face fell.  ‘Because I fucking told them so, that’s why.’

‘And they just listened?’

‘I had my ways of persuading them,’ he drawled, and you shivered at the dangerous chill that rolled off of him, his eyes flashing with something that set you on edge.

‘Let me guess,’ you murmured, not wanting to antagonise him, but needing clarity for your own reasons.  ‘That’s where Lucille came in?’

‘Hell yeah, she did.  My girl did some damage, let me tell ya.’

You shuddered.  ‘That’s… horrific.’

‘You telling me you’ve never killed anyone, doll?’

He had you there.  Of course, you had.  Who in this world hadn’t?  But you’d never been able to look on it as coolly and callously as he seemed to.  ‘Once or twice.’

‘So, maybe wipe that judgemental look off your face, huh?  We’ve all had to do shit to survive.’

You swallowed hard.  ‘Fine.  You said something about a war?’

That harsh look disappeared to be replaced by something almost mournful, and you felt your resistance lower slightly.  ‘Fucking Rick.’

‘I thought it was fucking Eugene,’ you joked, but you received a stern glower in response.  ‘Sorry.’

‘Rick is the leader of a picture perfect little set up a couple of hours drive away.  Alexandria.  Oh man, was I excited to bring them into the little arrangement we had going.  Course, Rick, he didn’t quite see the benefits to what I was offering.’

‘Wow, that’s… surprising.’  Your voice dripped with sarcasm, and Negan’s eyes darkened.

‘It’s not all as cut and dry as you think, princess,’ he snapped.  ‘See, before I even knew Rick Grimes existed, he and his band of merry fucking men stormed one of my outposts and killed a bunch of my guys in their sleep.’

Your eyes widened.  ‘Oh, God, that’s-’

‘Yeah.  See, no matter what shit I do, I do it for the greater fucking good, right?  I mean, I had people in my care that had nothing.  Women, children… families, y’know?  But Rick?  He got himself involved in something he had no fucking business getting involved in, and he put down some good fucking people.  So trust me when I say he had every fucking thing that he got coming to him.’

You could only nod dumbly.

‘’Cept good ol’ Rick, he had contacts, and what did he do?  Went and started a goddamn rebellion on my watch, that’s what!  Refused to be fucking reasoned with and before I know it, we’re at fucking war!’

‘Hey, keep your voice down,’ you warned as his anger got the better of him.  ‘You’re gonna bring another damn herd down on our asses if you’re not careful, and I’m too tired to fight them off single-handed again.’

‘Watch it, doll.’  He was scowling at you but his tone had lightened slightly.  ‘I was holding my own ‘til you came along.’

‘Whatever you say.’  Satisfied that he’d regained control of his temper, you urged him to carry on with his story.  ‘So, you went to war?’

‘You’re damn right we did.  We’d have fucking won as well if Eugene hadn’t stabbed me in the back.  Spineless son of a bitch.’

‘Eugene?’

‘My bullet-maker.  I commandeered him from Alexandria, thought he’d come round to my way of thinking, but it turns out he was just plotting my downfall from the inside.’

Two and two clicked together in your head and you gestured at his bandaged appendage.  ‘That’s what happened to your hand?’

‘Yep.  Fucking gun exploded as soon as I pulled the trigger.  Not much I could do after that.  Half my guys went down when their weapons backfired, and I couldn’t take on a whole damn army on my own.  So, I ran.’  Another sigh escaped him, and he scrubbed his hand over tired eyes.  ‘Fell on my ass a couple of times, that’s when I lost Lucille.  Rick was on my tail.  I couldn’t go back for her.  He would’ve killed me.’

‘Wow.’  It was all so far removed from the world you were living in that you couldn’t help but follow up your breathy declaration with a bark of laughter.  ‘You’re all fucking idiots.’

You saw Negan bristle, but you cut him off before he could question you.  

‘Seriously?  You are aware that this is the end of the world, right?  Like, the dead rose up and started walking and chowing on down on anything still alive, and now everyone’s gone, okay?  Like, pretty much the entire population of the country - hell, probably the planet - is gone, and you find people.  You find whole communities of living, breathing people.  And instead of working together, communicating, trying to actually build something good and worthwhile, you start doing the dead’s job for them!  You actually start fucking killing each other!’

His jaw had dropped, and he began to stutter a response, but you weren’t done.

‘Let me ask you something.  How many people do you think are actually left?  Huh?  If you had to give a rough estimate?  ‘Cause now, there are a hell of a lot less, and you guys, you consciously did that!  I mean, how stupid can you get, really?  God, I thought you were an idiot when I found you on the road out there but I had no idea just how dumb you actually were!’

‘Well, shit, doll, tell me how you really feel.’  He was still staring at you, incredulous, before a deep rumble of laughter vibrated through his chest and he shook his head.  ‘Guess you’ve been on your own for a while, huh?’

‘Yeah,’ you admitted.  ‘Having a group like that, a safe place to stay, it sounds like luxury.’

‘It was.’

‘And you just threw it all away.’

‘Guess I fucking did.’

‘You’re an idiot.’

‘You pointed that out already.’  His smile was contagious, and you found yourself returning it, until you were both caught in fits of laughter that made your sides ache.  You weren’t even sure why you were laughing, except that you weren’t really sure what else to do, and once you’d started, it was hard to stop.  When the giggles had finally died away, Negan’s eyes were focused on your face, his cheeks still dimpled with mirth.  ‘Shit, doll, I can tell you one thing.  I sure didn’t think I’d find anything to laugh about tonight.’

His voice had dropped an octave, the firelight dancing over his features and highlighting the planes of his face, and you found yourself ducking your head, avoiding his gaze, suddenly feeling shy in the face of this man who’d made the worst mistakes a person could possibly make.  ‘Well, it’s that or cry, right?’

‘Right.’  You heard him take a shaky breath, and you knew that the day’s events would probably haunt him for a long time, possibly even more so now that you’d dissected them in such a brutal way.  ‘So, what do you say, sweetheart?  You gonna take a chance and offer a handsome stranger a bed for the night?  ‘Cause I gotta tell you, I don’t fancy my chances if you turn me out in the cold right now.’

‘What’s in it for me?’  It wasn’t supposed to sound flirtatious, really it wasn’t, but you knew he took it that way when he shifted closer, his fingers brushing over yours where they rested against the floor and really, for a murderer, the man was charm itself.

‘How about a little protection from the monsters out there in the dark?’

You pretended to consider that for a moment before huffing in mock exasperation.  ‘God, it’s not like I can just kick you out now, is it?’

‘Oh, sweetheart, I’m starting to think you’re my guardian fucking angel.’

‘And I have a feeling that I’m not done saving you yet.’


End file.
